Electrical terminal clip



Aug. 12, 1947.

L. w. BUVELL spac'mxcnn'wnnuman our Filed Sept. 4, 1943 EE A Patented Aug. 12,1947. I

ELECTRICAL TERMINAL CLIP Lewis W. Buell, Rehoboth, Mass... assignor to Metals & Controls Corporation,

Attleboro,

Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 4, 1943, Serial No. 501,214

Claims. 1 This invention relates to electrical spring terminal clips, and more particularly to those for plug-in attachments.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of an easily attachable and detachable terminal clip which at the same time provides for holding a wire and which also provides the springy engagement required for cooperation with engaging tines of electrical plugs and the like; the provision of a device of th class described in which the conducting element is constituted by a single spring member, the assembly of which to its base parts requires only a single very simple manual movement; and the provision of a device of the class described which while being reliably held in position during normal plugging in operations may in the absence of a plug be removed from its base with great ease. and in part pointed out hereinafter.

Theinvention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which are illustrated several of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the clip of Fig. 1, the clip being turned over and applied in its base;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showin the application of a line wire holding bolt and showing the insertion of a tine of a cooperating p Fig, 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing another form of the invention; and I Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing said other form of the invention.

Similar referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In the copending patent application of myself and John D. Bolesky, Serial Number 515,012, filed December 20, 1943, for Motor starting and protective apparatus, there is shown a base construction requiring certain spring clips for cooperation with the tines of a removable plug. The'pre'sentinvention is shown as applied to that Other objects will be in part obvious construction, but it is to be understood that it is also applicable to any construction wherein an electrical engagement is desired between plug tines and spring terminal clips, The invention is also applicable where there are dummy holes which are to act as hold-down means for clips o harnesses and the like, but wherein subsequent electrical engagement with the held-down clips is not necessary,

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, numeral l in general shows one form of my new clip which comprises preferably a phosphor bronze strip formed into a generally V-shaped spring contact clip having a straight arm 3 from the free end of which a tab 5 having an opening 1 extends laterally outward. The other arm I l of the clip diverges from the apex 9 to provide a sloping face. This arm II is in turn bent back at a. knee ii to form the extension l5 toward arm 3. A projection or tongue 21 is struck up from the arm 3 adjacent to the apex 9. The widths of the parts 3, 9, ll, l3 and [5 ar slightly less than the width of the tab 5. Offsets l'l provide the steps between the two widths. From the above it is clear that the clip is basically of V-shape in which the large end is partially closed and the other end constitutes a leading angle.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, an insulating base is indicated at I9 through which passes an opening 2i. Lateral endwise pockets 23 are provided as part of this opening to accommodate the steps I! and an opposite endwise pocket 25 accommodates the tongue 21. A hexagonal recess 29 loosely accommodates a nut 28 which may be applied simply by dropping it into position. The recess prevents rotation of the inserted nut.

A depression 3| below the pocket accommodates.

the threaded extending portion of any screw 32 which may be threaded through the nut (see Fig. 5). The width of the opening 2| is substantially less than the sprung distance between the bend l3 and the arm 3. Thus, simply by inverting the clip from the position shown in Fig. 1 and inserting and wedging'the V-shape with corner 9 first into the opening 2|, a springing action is obtained between the arm 3 and the knee ill with the opposite walls ofthe openin 2i. Finally, when the tongue 21 springs into the pocket 25, the clip is held in place.

As the clip is brought into final position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the tab 5 comes into position to hold the nut 28 in place. As seen in Fig. 2 the opening 29 is ofabout the same hexagonal shape as the nut, so that the latter may not turn. The thread of the nut may be entered by the thread of screw 32 through the opening I. 'In the absence or an accurate stop by the nut 28 or top oi body IS, the downward movement of the clip is limited by engagement between oilset I1 and the bottoms of the pockets 23. Lateral engagement of oflsets I"! with the pockets 23 also prevents undue lateral rocking of the clip I as a whole in opening 2 Thus all that is required to assemble the holding nut 28 and the clip I is to insert the nut and simply push the clip down into the opening 2|, whereupon the tongue 21 springs into thev pocket 25 to hold in the assembly.

The holding screw 32 for holding the conductor is shown threaded through the nut 28 in Fig. 5. This Fig. also shows the application into the opening 2| of a tine 35 of an electrical plug. Thi tine engages the then sloping surface of arm II and pushes it back so that the part III engages the opposite arm 3 positively to hold the assembly in place despite roughest usage. It is here to be understood that the device does not depend upon screw 32 for holding it in position, either in the absence or presence of tine 35.

In order to remove the clip from its opening 2|, assuming the tine 35 removed as in Fig. 3. it is only necessary to insert a pry into the pocket 25 and pry the tongue 21 out of the pocket 25, whereupon the clip may be pushed out from the side of the opening through which it was original- 1y introduced. It is assumed that at this time the screw 32 has been removed. The result of prying out will also be a release of the nut 21 which can easily be picked out, since it is not molded into base l9, but simply nested therein.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown another form of the invention in which like numerals designate like parts. There is a change in the character of the tongue in Fig. 6 and it has therefore been numbered 2B. In the Fig.'6 form the tongue 26 is made by striking out from arm 3 a cup-like dorm, instead or a bridge-like form as in Fig. l.

A more important differentiation in the case of the Fig. 6 form i the substitution, for the flat tab 5 of Fig. 1, of the cylindric tab 8. This is for receiving a section of wire 8. By skinning the insulation from local sections of wire, a plurality of the clips may be applied by soldering to form what is sometimes referred to as an assembly harness. Then the wire with the applied clips may be brought into juxtaposition with a base having a plurality of the opening 2|, and the clips simply pushed into their proper positions whereupon they become automatically fastened with the greatest of ease. In this case a recess such as shown at 29 of Fig. 3 is not necessary. but it is to be understood that if desired a clip oi the form of Fig. 7 may be applied to a properly sized opening 2| having an adjacent'recess such as 29 (Fig. 3), the latter simply being left useless. Of course the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 may also be used on a harness.

Although the purpose of engaging the offset portion H with the pockets 23 is to provide for limiting motions of the clip in the opening 2| without relying upon the upper surface of the base i9, as above described, these and the offsets I! are not always necessary.

in a plane located between the tab 5 and protrusion 21 (Fig. l) or the tab 6 and protrusion 26 (Fig. 6). This means that the reaction at the a knee |3 on one side of the opening 2| i such as The clip is extremely economical to make and r to maintain the arm 3 flat against the opposite side of the opening 2|. Thus, the arm lies angularly across the opening 2|. This provides a wide opening 33 for the easy reception of the tine, as Figures 3, 5 and 7 clearly show..

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are. achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing irom the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. An electrical connector comprising an insulation member having a tine-receiving opening therethrough, one side wall of Said opening havin a pocket, a generally V-shaped spring contact clip wedged into the opening with one of its arms engaging said one side wall and with its other arm angled across the opening and engaging the opposite side wall. the apex of said clip being adjacent one end of the opening and adjacent said one side wall, said one arm having a projection extendin into the pocket and also having a tab extending laterally outward from its free end in engagement with said insulation member adjacent the other end of the opening.

2. An electrical connector comprising an insulation member having a tine-receiving opening therethrough, one side Wall of said opening having a pocket, a generally V-shaped spring contact clip wedged into the opening, said clip comprising a straight arm engaging said one side wall having a substantially rigid projection extending into tile pocket, and also having a tab extending laterally outward from its free end in engagement with said insulation member adjacent one end of the opening, said clip also comprising an arm angled across the opening engaging the opposite side wall and bent back to form a portion extending toward said straight arm adapted to engage said straight arm upon insertion of a tine into the opening between said bent arm and said opposite side wall.

3. An electrical connector comprising an insulation mimber having a tine-receiving opening therethrough, one side wall of said opening having a pocket, a generally V-shaped spring contact clip wedged into the opening with one of its arms engaging said one side wall and with its other arm angled across the opening and engaging the opposite side wall, the apex of said clip being adjacent one end of the opening and adjacent said one side wall, said one arm having a projection extending into the pocket and also having a tab extending laterally outward from its free end in engagement with said insulation member adjacent the other end of the opening, said insulation member being formed with a recess adjacent said other end of the opening, and a nut loosely received in said recess and retained therein by said tab.

4. An electrical connector comprising an insulation member having a tine-receiving opening therethrough, one side wall of said opening having a pocket, a generally V-shaped spring contact clip wedged into the opening with one of its arms engaging said. one side wall and with its other arm angled across the opening and engaging the opposite side wall, the apex of said clip being ad- Jacent one end of the opening and adjacent said one side wall, said one arm having a projection extending into the pocket and also having a tab extending laterally outward from its free end in engagement; with said insulation member adjacent the other end of the opening; said tab being bent to form a wire-receiving cylinder.

5. A contact clip comprising a one-piece generally V-shaped spring member, one of the arms of said member being substantially straight and having a tab extending laterally outward from its free end, said one arm also having va tongue struck out therefrom adjacent the apex of the V, the other arm having its free end bent back toward said straight arm thereby forming a knee.

LEWIS W. BUELL.

REFERENCES CITED 4 The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

